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Home , Billingham, Hartlepool, Seaham, Sedgefield

Seaham Defended Land Walk.qxp_Layout 1 20/11/2014 11:33 Page 1

Seaham: harbour & town The ‘A Defended Land’ project is part of the Heritage Defended Land. A military history walk 3 Lottery funded Limestone Landscapes Partnership. The Seaham was attacked during both the First and Second World purpose of the project is to conserve and interpret the Wars. On this walk you’ll see where some of the defences were history of the north-east’s coastal defences. From Roman put in place to protect the port, town and colliery and learn a forts to defences against marauding pirates in the early bit about the events that took place here during the wars. The modern period, there is a long history of coastal defence East Durham Heritage and Centre is well worth a visit. in the north-east. But the bulk of information left to us comes from the perceived threat of invasion by France in 1 3 Seaham A ‘Defended Land’ Walk 3 / miles/5km the latter half of the 19th century and the very real threat P The walk starts at the War Memorial, off North Terrace of German invasion during the two World Wars in the 20th on the cliff top. Parking is available around the green. century. This leaflet accompanies one of four walks along the coastline that explore the remains of defensive features harbour & town No. 60 ‘Drifter’ runs up to every 10 minutes during from this period and the stories surrounding them. the daytime, connecting Parkside, and A walk of just over 3 miles around Seaham to . www.simplygo.com 1 Marsden to Trow Point 3 Seaham a town with plenty of wartime There are lots of cafes along North Terrace as well as 2 Roker cliffs and pier 4 stories to tell down at the marina. South Shields NEWCASTLE- Directions UPON-TYNE 1 1 From War memorial head towards coast and turn right and right again to follow path around the Green. At North Terrace, 2 SUNDERLAND A1( A1231 turn left. At roundabout turn left again to walk down to the M) harbour and East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre. Washington

A690 2 Retrace your steps to roundabout and turn left, passing Byron A 19 Place shopping centre. Cross the road at the lights, take next Chester- le-Street Seaham right and very soon cross this road at the next lights. Turn right Houghton- 3 to keep heading west, away from coast then next left (Foundry le-Spring Road) and next right (Ropery Walk) – you pass the school on A182 your left. Keep on, passing under two railway bridges. DURHAM 3 Just before the playground turn right and follow tarmac path A690 (M) A1

which bears left to a road. Turn right and follow this road as A1 81 A167 it turns left (this is Park Street). At T-junction turn right (along HARTLEPOOL Princess Road), cross where it is safe to do so. The entrance 4 to the cemetery is on the left after about 100m. A19 4 Back out on Princess Road keep heading north. Just before roundabout cross road and bear right to cross footbridge over railway. Head down road through industrial area and keep straight ahead to cross next road by zebra crossing. A 68 Turn right, then left at brick terrace, ‘Adolphus Street West’. 5 At the bottom of the street turn left (Sophia Street). Keep This project has been coordinated by Groundwork NE & Cumbria. www.groundwork.org.uk/northeast straight on to the end and turn left at the T-junction, opposite Look for us on Facebook and Twitter! the garage. Cross the road when it is safe to do so. For more about the Limestone Landscapes project 6 Bear right on a narrow path which takes you into Rockhouse go to www.limestonelandscapes.info Dene. Turn right and down steps, over a bridge and then right to follow the burn through the dene. Eventually the path climbs out onto Dene House Road. Cross the coast road ahead when safe, turn left and walk along the promenade. At the roundabout turn right into viewpoint area behind Research/text Groundwork North East & Marcus Byron. Leaflet design ©Marcus Byron. sculpture. Retrace your steps from here along the coast road Maps: All Rights Reserved ©Crown Copyright 2014. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 0100041467 Cover photo ©Marcus Byron. Archive images courtesy of David Angus: www.east-durham.co.uk Making a positive difference to the unique or promenade to the start. environment of the Magnesian Limestone area Seaham Defended Land Walk.qxp_Layout 1 20/11/2014 11:33 Page 2

f Just over the road from where you take the path into the dene is the a The Seaham war memorial remembers the soldiers from Seaham former site of the Home Guard Drill Hall. This was once the home of the who died in action in the two World Wars. The sculpture of the World Londonderry Volunteers, formed in 1860 at the same time as the South War I soldier was created by local artist Ray Lonsdale. Entitled ‘1101’ to Shields volunteers (now Durham 3rd Artillery Volunteers). It is reflect the first minute of peace at the end of the war, it was originally likely that the hall was used during the First World War. The Hall became just on loan to the town, but proved so popular that local residents a clothing factory in 1958 before it was destroyed by fire in 1986. raised funds to purchase it and so ‘Tommy’ is here to stay! b In 1943 a Victory Parade marched along North Terrace as Cubs The old Drill Hall is the building on the right and Scouts marked the success of the North Africa campaign where the of this photo looking down Tempest Road. allies had beaten the German army. This was a lighter moment for the town in the midst of the hardships of the war years. c In the Second World War part of the town's defences was the Seaham Harbour Battery, situated on North Dock. The gun battery would have been located on the grassed area to the left as you start to follow the road down to the marina. When walking back up from the marina, if you look over to the cliffs on the right you can see the site of Seaham Searchlight Battery. The searchlights were used to light up the flight path of the bombers for the guns to aim at. 3.7” guns were deployed across the coast and operated by artillery soldiers and the home guard. They could reach aircraft flying overhead at up to 18,000ft. Soldiers operating the battery were stationed around the town.

Right, top: 1943 Victory Parade along North Terrace g Looking back from the viewpoint you can see the site of the old town Right: View from Seaham harbour looking towards the cliffs below battery which was manned by the Seaham Artillery Volunteers. Three North Terrace green. The Searchlight Battery is circled. cannon stood on hardstanding pointing out to sea. The guns didn’t see active service but they and the volunteers were the forerunners to the harbour battery and artillery soldiers who defended the town during the g 0 500m two World Wars.

N d Seaham suffered some of the worst bombing in the north east in North World War II, with extensive damage and loss of life. In Princess Road R d B12 Cemetery there is a memorial to the 58 civilians killed in six separate 8 7 bombing raids. The cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves site. e As you look down the left side of Adolphus Street West, you can see Dene House where the original terrace ends to be replaced by a block of modern Rd houses. This area was devastated by a German bomb on 16 May 1943. In total 113 houses and a Church were destroyed; 36 people lost their 7 a 1 lives. Hundreds more homes were damaged. Looking back up the road oad B128 t R No East Durham Heritage from Sophia Street you can compare the view below. Tempes 6 rth Terrace and Lifeboat Centre

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Sophia St e 5

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d 4 k Ropery Wal Old town battery in the late 1800s (top) and in 1910 (above), by d which time the guns had been removed and shuggy boats had taken their place! The images show the lighthouse on the headland. It was The Presbyterian Church and houses on Adolphus Street West in taken down in World War II (as it was in the way of guns aiming out Play area 3 1908. The church was built in 1882. to the sea) and was rebuilt at the end of the pier.